Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Mplx in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Mplx from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on Mplx from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Mplx from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Mplx from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Mplx presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.89.

Mplx Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MPLX opened at $51.17 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.11. Mplx has a twelve month low of $36.79 and a twelve month high of $51.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The pipeline company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.05 by ($0.04). Mplx had a return on equity of 32.70% and a net margin of 36.77%. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mplx will post 4.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mplx

In other news, VP Carl Kristopher Hagedorn sold 4,000 shares of Mplx stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.24, for a total value of $188,960.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $696,790. This trade represents a 21.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Institutional Trading of Mplx

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPLX. Secure Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Mplx by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 5,511 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mplx by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 12,345 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in shares of Mplx by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 6,879 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mplx by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 52,095 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $2,493,000 after purchasing an additional 7,201 shares during the period. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Mplx by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 37,694 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,804,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.25% of the company’s stock.

Mplx Company Profile

MPLX LP engages in the operation of midstream energy infrastructure and logistics assets, and distribution fuels services. It operates through the Logistics and Storage (L&S) and Gathering and Processing (G&P) segments. The Logistics and Storage segment transports, stores, distributes, and markets crude oil, asphalt, refined petroleum products, and water.